Getting the Body of Your Dreams
Anyone can work their butt off to get a body like a fitness magazine cover model. But what if you don’t want to work that hard? Can you still get the body of your dreams?
Yep.
Let’s Get Started
I’m gonna be up front with you: I hate the title of this blog. Oh, I’m quite aware I named it myself and have the power, even now, to change it to something else.
I still hate it.
The phrase “body of your dreams” attempts to put an image in your head of what you “should” look like. I don’t know about you, but I picture myself coming out of the ocean in slow-mo, water dripping down my chiseled pecs, with six pack abs and a perfect tan.
In reality, that isn’t me (I’m more of a “stumbling out of the ocean choking up salt water, with snot slinging out of my nose and a painful sunburn” kind of guy), nor do I want it to be me. My “dream” body is much lower-maintenance than that.
Everyone has a different idea of what they want to look like. For me, personally:
I don’t need a six pack — I’m happy with a flat stomach, not overflowing my swimsuit.
I don’t need giant rippling muscles — I’m content with a leaner, athletic look.
I don’t need to be the fittest person alive — I just want to live a long, healthy life.
Your standards might be even more relaxed, and that’s great. Don’t let anyone else define what’s acceptable for you.
When someone encourages you to go after your dream body, make sure it’s your dream, not theirs.
Defining Your Dream
If you’ve already attempted to get your dream body and it didn’t work out like you thought, one of the best things you can do is adjust your goal.
You aren’t giving up on your dream by making adjustments to your goal. You’re getting a clearer picture of what it is you really want.
For instance, if family time tends to keep you from getting to your goal of working out for an hour every day, adjust it. Try 30 minutes a day. Or cut back to 3 times a week.
That isn’t giving up on your dream. That’s simply recognizing that family is your bigger priority.
Or if social engagements (and the food that goes with them) get in the way of having a six pack, that might just mean you value your community of friends (and the fun times you have with them) more than having washboard abs.
There’s nothing wrong with that.
Chase Your Dream
Don’t get me wrong, there are times to buckle down and have some discipline, but lack of self-control isn’t always the reason you aren’t achieving your goals. Often times it’s the goals themselves that are the problem.
Even fitness models can only maintain their photoshoot-ready appearance for a limited time. It takes an extreme amount of effort to get prepared for it, and it’s not healthy to stay at a super low body fat percentage for long periods of time anyway.
Trying to look like that year-round isn’t a dream, it’s a nightmare.
Yet that’s what so many people are trying to sell when they say you can have your “dream body” if you just buy their product or follow their program.
Fortunately for you, your dream body doesn’t have to look the way society tells you it’s supposed to. It might not even look the way YOU currently think it should. You may find you’re not that far off from it right now.
With some simple adjustments to your goals, you could be able to get there in a matter of months. Or, after putting in that work, you may discover you enjoy the process and can push your body beyond any limits you’ve ever imagined.
The dream is yours. It can look however you want.
Just remember, if it doesn’t allow you to live a lifestyle that maintains the things you value most, it’s not your dream body.
